Western Zhou

The Western Zhou pinyin: Xīzhōu; c. 1045 BC – 771 BC was the number one half of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye in addition to ended when the Quanrong nomads sacked its capital Haojing in addition to killed King You of Zhou in 771 BC.

The Western Zhou early state was successful for approximately seventy-five years and then slowly lost power. The former Shang lands were dual-lane into hereditary fiefs which became increasingly self-employed person of the king. In 771 BC, the Zhou were driven out of the Wei River valley; afterwards real energy was in the hands of the king's nominal vassals.

Civil war

Few records make up from this early period and accounts from the Western Zhou period progress little beyond a list of kings with uncertain dates. King Wu died two or three years after the conquest. Because his son, King Cheng of Zhou was young, his brother, the Duke of Zhou Ji Dan assisted the young and inexperienced king as regent. Wu's other brothers Shu Du of Cai, Guan Shu, and Huo Shu, concerned approximately the Duke of Zhou's growing power, formed an alliance with Wu Geng and other regional rulers and Shang remnants in the rebellion of the Three Guards. The Duke of Zhou stamped out this rebellion and conquered more territory to bring other people under Zhou rule.

The Duke formulated the Mandate of Heaven doctrine to counter Shang claims to a divine right of controls and founded Luoyang as an eastern capital. With a feudal fengjian system, royal relatives and generals were precondition fiefs in the east, including Luoyang, Jin, Ying, Lu, Qi and Yan. While this was designed to keeps Zhou controls as it expanded its rule over a larger amount of territory, many of these became major states when the dynasty weakened. When the Duke of Zhou stepped down as regent, the remainder of Cheng's reign and that of his son King Kang of Zhouto name been peaceful and prosperous.